"Zelda, I only have twenty dollars and eighty- three cents."
"I hate you." Vic jammed her hand in her left pocket, pulling out neatly folded-over bills. She counted them out. "Okay, Mignon. Here's fifty. I need the rest for gas and lunch this week."
"All right, seventy dollars and eighty-three cents. Now these are sixty-two dollars." Zelda pointed out a pair of posts so tiny as to be pinheads.
"No." Mignon fingered the gold ball earrings.
"Honey, these silver ones are the same size. I think you're right about size. You have good taste, Mignon. You always know what looks good on you and everyone else, for that matter."
"Zelda, if she wears the silver, her ears will get infected."
Zelda noticed that whoever pierced Mignon's ears had put the holes in exactly the right places.
"I've got some money," Chris announced, reaching in her shorts pocket.
"No way." Vic grabbed her wrist. "You're the guest, and my little sister's escapade shouldn't cost you any money."
"I could give her credit. She could pay it off," suggested Zelda. 1 know she will. Mignon's responsible."
"Lisa Baptista's got credit all over town," Mignon said to Vic. "Not here, she doesn't," Zelda clarified.
"Mignon, don't buy on credit. If we can't pay in full, you're going to have to wear smaller earrings."
"Those are fly-sized." Mignon had her heart set on the ideally sized gold balls for her ears.
"Please, take my money. I owe it to Mignon for the entertainment."
Chris put her money in Vic's hand, and held it there with her other hand. A flash of fire shot through Vic. She stared at Chris, speechless. Mignon, observing her sister's reaction, said, "Chris, we can't take
your money. It's not right."
"I insist." Chris squeezed Vic's hand and then let go.
Vic dropped the money. She'd never felt anything like that in her life ; white hot married to blue cold. She knew it was sexual. She knew she'd never felt that with Charly. She didn't know what to do about it and she didn't know if Chris felt that energy, too.
Mignon picked up the money, fifteen dollars.
Zelda liked the Savedges. Most everyone did. "Mignon, let's put these in your ears before it's too late and it hurts." She bent down and pulled out a bottle of alcohol from under the counter. "Chris, you keep your money. I don't want you girls telling anyone about this discount. It's our secret."
"Zelda . . . ," Vic's voice trailed off.
"Your father's been good to me. Now, let's do this." Zelda carefully wiped the back of the earring. She pulled a pair of tiny scissors from a
drawer, snipping the wax threads. "Did you perform this operation?" she asked Vic.
"No. Hojo."
"Did a good job. That girl keeps me in business." She laughed. "Loves jewelry."
"She doesn't make enough money to buy your stuff," Mignon said. She winced when she tried to put the earrings in.
"Helps if you use a mirror, honey." Zelda placed a two-sided mirror before her. "Just do it fast and get it over with and then keep twirling those earrings. Put alcohol on the front and back without taking them out. In a week you ought to be fine. You look like a fast healer."
"Mignon, you don't know anything about Hojo's finances. You're the one without money, not her."
Zelda admired Mignon. "You look pretty as a picture."
"You don't have to go that far," Vic said, having somewhat recovered from the lightning strike in her body.
As they drove back to pick up Jinx, Vic told Chris that her father drew up the incorporation papers for people, wills, whatever they needed. He'd often help people who couldn't pay very much.
"Dad puts people first, money second."
"That's a wonderful quality." Chris turned around, her blonde hair shining in the light. "They do look good on you, Mignon."
Vic found herself looking at Chris. She'd look at the road and then look over at Chris. When Chris looked back at her, Vic burst out laughing. Chris laughed, too.
By the time Vic, Chris, Mignon, and Jinx arrived back at Surry
Crossing, R. J. had the
"I hate you." Vic jammed her hand in her left pocket, pulling out neatly folded-over bills. She counted them out. "Okay, Mignon. Here's fifty. I need the rest for gas and lunch this week."
"All right, seventy dollars and eighty-three cents. Now these are sixty-two dollars." Zelda pointed out a pair of posts so tiny as to be pinheads.
"No." Mignon fingered the gold ball earrings.
"Honey, these silver ones are the same size. I think you're right about size. You have good taste, Mignon. You always know what looks good on you and everyone else, for that matter."
"Zelda, if she wears the silver, her ears will get infected."
Zelda noticed that whoever pierced Mignon's ears had put the holes in exactly the right places.
"I've got some money," Chris announced, reaching in her shorts pocket.
"No way." Vic grabbed her wrist. "You're the guest, and my little sister's escapade shouldn't cost you any money."
"I could give her credit. She could pay it off," suggested Zelda. 1 know she will. Mignon's responsible."
"Lisa Baptista's got credit all over town," Mignon said to Vic. "Not here, she doesn't," Zelda clarified.
"Mignon, don't buy on credit. If we can't pay in full, you're going to have to wear smaller earrings."
"Those are fly-sized." Mignon had her heart set on the ideally sized gold balls for her ears.
"Please, take my money. I owe it to Mignon for the entertainment."
Chris put her money in Vic's hand, and held it there with her other hand. A flash of fire shot through Vic. She stared at Chris, speechless. Mignon, observing her sister's reaction, said, "Chris, we can't take
your money. It's not right."
"I insist." Chris squeezed Vic's hand and then let go.
Vic dropped the money. She'd never felt anything like that in her life ; white hot married to blue cold. She knew it was sexual. She knew she'd never felt that with Charly. She didn't know what to do about it and she didn't know if Chris felt that energy, too.
Mignon picked up the money, fifteen dollars.
Zelda liked the Savedges. Most everyone did. "Mignon, let's put these in your ears before it's too late and it hurts." She bent down and pulled out a bottle of alcohol from under the counter. "Chris, you keep your money. I don't want you girls telling anyone about this discount. It's our secret."
"Zelda . . . ," Vic's voice trailed off.
"Your father's been good to me. Now, let's do this." Zelda carefully wiped the back of the earring. She pulled a pair of tiny scissors from a
drawer, snipping the wax threads. "Did you perform this operation?" she asked Vic.
"No. Hojo."
"Did a good job. That girl keeps me in business." She laughed. "Loves jewelry."
"She doesn't make enough money to buy your stuff," Mignon said. She winced when she tried to put the earrings in.
"Helps if you use a mirror, honey." Zelda placed a two-sided mirror before her. "Just do it fast and get it over with and then keep twirling those earrings. Put alcohol on the front and back without taking them out. In a week you ought to be fine. You look like a fast healer."
"Mignon, you don't know anything about Hojo's finances. You're the one without money, not her."
Zelda admired Mignon. "You look pretty as a picture."
"You don't have to go that far," Vic said, having somewhat recovered from the lightning strike in her body.
As they drove back to pick up Jinx, Vic told Chris that her father drew up the incorporation papers for people, wills, whatever they needed. He'd often help people who couldn't pay very much.
"Dad puts people first, money second."
"That's a wonderful quality." Chris turned around, her blonde hair shining in the light. "They do look good on you, Mignon."
Vic found herself looking at Chris. She'd look at the road and then look over at Chris. When Chris looked back at her, Vic burst out laughing. Chris laughed, too.
By the time Vic, Chris, Mignon, and Jinx arrived back at Surry
Crossing, R. J. had the
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